3. Troubleshooting Wind-ups
Overview
Students meet to discuss the issues on their lists from Lesson 2. Friction is introduced as a common cause of issues. Next they develop some ideas about how to troubleshoot: find out what’s preventing something from working, and change that one thing. They use each others’ troubleshooting ideas to fix their wind-ups. Finally, they record what they have learned by each writing a Troubleshooting Guide.
Advance Preparation
- Post the chart paper Issues list from Lesson 2.
- Make a “Wind-up Troubleshooting Chart” similar to that on next page.
- Photo copy “Wind-up Troubleshooting Guide". Download below.
Materials
- Wind-ups already made by students
- Materials for making wind-ups, for use as spare parts
Procedure
1. Class meeting: Select one of the issues from the chart, such as “Wind-up doesn’t go,” and ask:
If something doesn’t work the way you want it to, what should you do?
Develop the idea that it doesn’t make sense to start over, because most of what you made is probably OK. Also, if you start over, you might just run into the same issue again! It makes much more sense to:
- Find out exactly what is preventing it from working, and
- Then solve only that problem.
In engineering, this way of addressing issues is called troubleshooting.
Make a chart with the heading, “Troubleshooting,” write down the issue “Wind-up doesn’t go” and under it two columns labeled “Cause” and “ Fix.” Ask students what they think is causing the wind-up not to go. Record their ideas in the “Cause” column. Model one or two entries on this chart, like the one below: Then ask what they did or could do about that problem, and put the answer under “Fix.” Sometimes it’s easier to go the other way – Figure out the “Fix” first, and then decide what the “Cause” was. Model this process, by creating one entry on the chart. Here is a sample chart for troubleshooting a wind-up that doesn't go.
2. Introduce "friction" as a common cause: when the issue is that the wind-up doesn't go, a common cause is friction between a part that is supposed to move and a part that does not move. For example, the winding stick may be against the lid. Friction between stick and lid prevents the car from going. Fiction may be reduced by placing a bead between the lid and stick.
3. Sharing issues and possible causes: Ask students to present some of the issues that have come up with their wind-ups. After each issue is presented, ask if anyone has figured out a way to solve that particular problem.
4. Students use troubleshooting ideas: Provide time for students to get their wind-ups to work, based on one another’s suggestions for troubleshooting
5. Troubleshooting Guide: Distribute the Troubleshooting Guide worksheets. Based on the example you have just shown, ask each student to create a Troubleshooting Guide showing how to deal with each issue that has been resolved.
6. Outcomes
- Students learn to find out what’s causing a problem, rather than become frustrated by it.
- Students develop the concept of troubleshooting, and see the benefit of identifying the cause of a problem and solving only that problem.
- Students learn troubleshooting ideas from one another.
- Students learn that friction can prevent things from moving, and find ways to reduce friction.
- Word wall words: cause, fix, troubleshooting, friction, troubleshooting guide
Troubleshooting
See the troubleshooting ideas at the end of Lesson 2.